Costa Rica Country Profile • Food Export Association of the Midwest USA https://www.foodexport.org/export-insights/market-and-country-profiles/costa-rica/ We are Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast , non-profit organizations made up of agricultural promotion agencies from 13 Midwestern and 10 Northeastern states. Sat, 06 Jan 2024 06:05:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 Focused Trade Mission to Costa Rica for Retail and Foodservice https://www.foodexport.org/events/market-entry/focused-trade-missions/m24atm/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 14:23:16 +0000 https://fx.sandstorm.work/?post_type=events&p=2377 Jumpstart Your Product Export Sales to Costa Rica Costa Rica has proven to be an appealing and profitable market for U.S. companies for many years. This market has a stable democracy, predictable business climate, and economic growth fueled by a resurgent tourism industry. After record-setting exports in 2021, shipments of U.S. agricultural and related products […]

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Jumpstart Your Product Export Sales to Costa Rica

Costa Rica has proven to be an appealing and profitable market for U.S. companies for many years. This market has a stable democracy, predictable business climate, and economic growth fueled by a resurgent tourism industry. After record-setting exports in 2021, shipments of U.S. agricultural and related products to Costa Rica were 10% higher through October 2022, with growth in all major product categories.

Costa Rica is ranked #83 of the major economies of the world and is considered an upper middle-income country. There are numerous advantages for U.S. exporters of consumer-ready food products to the region. These include geographic proximity and lower duties for almost all agricultural products under the CAFTA-DR free trade agreement. As a strong tourism sector (domestic and international), Costa Rica also supports substantial foodservice opportunities for U.S. exporters.

Costa Rican consumers are health-conscious and open to new products. They are willing to make the switch to private label due to the balance of quality and price and the increased consumer awareness for value-added products. Furthermore, they prefer to purchase in-stores despite the expansion of e-commerce, buying both in bulk and in small volumes.

U.S. Food & Agricultural Product Imports to Costa Rica, By the Numbers

  • U.S. Consumer-Oriented Foods and Beverage Products – US$420 million (2022)
  • U.S. Processed Foods – US$320.8 million (2021)

 

Travel Information

Due to the nature of the global pandemic and its impact on international travel, please consider resources such a www.travel.state.gov when determining if this event is appropriate for you or your company.

 

 

Register for Two Back-to-Back Missions!

Focused Trade Mission to Guatemala – Foodservice and Retail
March 7 – 8, 2024

Interested in this Focused Trade Mission? Watch this Sneak Peek presentation with our In-Market Representative.

Products of Interest

Top U.S. products in demand:

  • Sweets & Snacks
  • Chocolate Products
  • Confectionary
  • Beverages – Juices & Soft Drinks
  • Beer, Wine & Spirits
  • Functional Drinks, Non-Alcoholic Drinks
  • Organic/Natural/Health Foods in general
  • Nuts
  • Grains
  • Bakery Goods, Cereals, Pasta
  • Oils
  • Condiments & Sauces
  • Food Ingredients
  • Prepared Foods
  • Processed Foods
  • Canned Goods
  • Dairy
  • Poultry, Sausages, Red Meats (including processed)
  • Seafood
  • Pet Food

Mission Itinerary

March 3: Arrive in San Jose

March 4: Briefing and Retail Tour

March 5: One-on-One Meetings with Buyers

March 6: Departure to Focused Trade Mission to Guatemala or Home

Schedule is subject to change.

Focused Trade Mission Services Provided

  • One-on-one meetings with qualified buyers
  • Pre-event custom product research including market overview, importation and distribution analysis
  • Market briefing by local USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service
  • Retail store tour
  • Table top showcase
  • Inclusion in Trade Mission brochure containing your company profile, contact details and product lines
  • On-site assistance by Food Export’s In-Market Representative
  • Identifying top leads

Preparation Assistance

Costa Rica Country Profile

Start your trade mission journey now. We have the market intelligence you need to make informed decisions to determine if this market is right for your products.
Access in-depth country-specific data and industry research

Complimentary Webinars

Our educational webinars provide up-to-date exporter intelligence regarding specific markets, logistics, trade financing, documentation, how to meet and follow-up with international buyers, and much more.
View Available Webinars

Export Essentials Online

Whether you’re new to exporting or need to refresh your skills, this free online training course provides a comprehensive, flexible approach to learning the fundamentals and logistics of exporting.
Learn More

Export Success

Participants in 2019 Focused Trade Missions Reported:

Market Access Program (MAP) Funding

22
1st Time Export Sales

New Distributorships Established

531
New Distributorships Established

New Foreign Buyer Contacts

1,607
New Foreign Buyer Introductions

Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) Fund

$78 Million
Projected Sales

Over $100k in New Export Sales

$15 Million
Actual Sales
Branded Program

Double Your International Marketing Budget

With the Branded Program, you may be eligible for 50% reimbursement on:

  • Promotions and product demonstrations
  • Advertising
  • Select international travel costs
  • Marketing and point-of-sale materials
  • Foreign market compliant packaging/labeling
  • And much more!
Learn More about the Branded Program

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]]> Learning More About Exporting https://www.foodexport.org/success-stories/learning-more-about-exporting/ Mon, 14 Jun 2021 20:01:11 +0000 https://fx.sandstorm.tech/success-stories/learning-more-about-exporting/ Karviva, certified women and minority-owned small business, is an innovative and award-winning natural food and beverage company based in Saint Louis, Missouri. They have found Food Export's educational programs to be pivotal in their export journey.

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]]> Inspired by the virtues of Buddhism, Karviva’s philosophy for compassion not only cares deeply for the world within us — our bodies and our minds — but also for the world around us. They believe that creating delicious products from wholesome ingredients also means shouldering the environmental and social responsibilities. Their product creation is deeply rooted in their belief in the ancient wisdom “Food Is Better Medicine” combined with modern nutrition and medical research and each Karviva product is designed to serve a purpose that consumers have demanded.

In 2019 Fulfill Food & Beverages, LLC, or better known as Karviva, from St. Louis, Missouri, began participating in Food Export programs and events. The beverage supplier began with educational programs to gain knowledge of the requirements to export and the variants of each export market’s prerequisites.

In February 2021, Fulfill Food & Beverages participated in Food Export’s Virtual Trade Mission to Costa Rica. This Virtual Trade Mission connected U.S. supplier participants with qualified buyers in Costa Rica.  All the meetings took place over video conference, not requiring the participants to travel to the market as travel restrictions were still a factor in traveling to the market at the time.  As a result of these meetings, Fulfill Food & Beverages reported 18 new foreign buyer introductions and they project to complete $6,000 in export sales over the next twelve months.

“They [Food Export] have done a great job matching the right supplier with the right buyer, I am very impressed by that,” said Zeng, speaking from personal experience after attending several events. She went on to express that the guidance, help, and market research from Food Export-Midwest has been wonderful. Catherine Bohnert, Fulfill Food & Beverages’ Marketing Specialist, also expressed how helpful the Food Export Export Essential Modules have been in helping them prepare for the Trade Mission.

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The Missouri Supplier has participated in Food Export’s Virtual Trade Mission to Costa Rica and Panama, the Natural, Healthy, and Organic Virtual Buyers Mission, and the Japan Specialty and Gourmet Virtual Showcase. They also participate in the Branded Program, Export Essentials, webinars, and the Online Product Catalog.

Food Export uses funding from the Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) Program and the Market Access Program (MAP) to help America’s small businesses increase their exports of food and agricultural products. As these exports increase, these small businesses are creating jobs and improving the strength and stability of our agricultural economy. Food Export – Midwest and Food Export – Northeast are non-profit organizations that work in collaboration with their member state departments of agriculture and the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. They offer a wide range of programs and services that help boost America’s agricultural exports.

 

Trade Lead Follow-Up Success

Food Export Education Success

Focused Trade Mission Success

Focused Trade Mission Success

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Market Access Program (MAP) Funding

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